


Marked

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 08:23:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14160705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: Nelan decides to get a tattoo of the Hunter's symbol.





	Marked

Nelan took a deep breath and sat back in the padded chair, propping her right arm up on the armrest. Ivo floated into her view.

“You sure you want to do this?” He asked.

“It won’t kill me.” She assured. “No revival will be necessary.”

“That’s not what I mean. Don’t expect it to get erased next time I have to resurrect you.”

She gave him a smile. “There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, I want to do this.”

Ivo stayed hovering where he was for a moment before coming closer and nudging her cheek. “As long as you’re sure.”

She reached her other hand up to touch at the corners of his shell; their usual ritual of the mutual affection they shared.

Another person then entered the room and gave Nelan a smile. The artist, she assumed. The person was a woman with short cropped hazel hair that looked sort of fluffy. Nelan spotted a small tattoo of a bumble bee on her neck. She smiled back at the other woman; she was kind of cute.

“Not every day I get a Guardian in here.” She said, approaching the Hunter. “The name’s Elm.”

“Like an Elm tree?” Ivo inquired.

Elm laughed. “Yes, little Ghost.”

“Don’t call me little.”

“Be nice, Ivo.” Nelan hushed, holding back a laugh. “It’s nice to met you, Elm.”

Elm was still smiling as she went over to one side of the room and got a couple bottles of ink together. Nelan watched her, listening to the music playing through the room as well. It was… interesting.

“What’s this song that’s playing?” She asked.

“Humble Stance, by some group called Saga. Dug it out of an archive a while back.” Elm answered, pulling up a chair next to Nelan and setting the bottles down on a tray, alongside the equipment she had there. “I took a look at your design you requested. I’m guessing you’re a Hunter?”

“Have been since the day Ivo found me in Russia.”

“How long you’ve been around?”

“A little over a year and a half I think. Me and Ivo have been though a bit since our first adventure.”

Elm looked over to Ivo, observing him as he hovered by Nelan. “He seems like a good companion. Now, you said you wanted the Hunter’s symbol on your arm, right?”

“Upper arm near the shoulder.” Nelan clarified.

“Alright then.” Elm started to prep Nelan’s arm. “It’s a simple design, so you won’t be here all day like some clients I’ve had.”

“How so?”

“I once worked on a tattoo that took nearly three hours.”

“Oh.” She then adds, “Is it okay if Ivo stays?”

“Of course, so long as he doesn’t try to get in my way. You ready for this?”

Nelan looks over to Ivo and the back to Elm before giving the artist a nod.

Elm finishes the preparations and gets to work. When she’s ready to start laying down the lines for the tattoo, she applies black ink to the needle and leans over to get at Nelan’s arm. The Hunter closes her eyes and braces herself; she’s heard these can hurt.

And what she’s heard turns out to be right. It’s not as bad as the sting of weapons that have been driven into her body in battle, but she’s not familiar with this and it stings. Her breath audibly hitches, and Ivo flinches back at seeing his Guardian in pain.

“You doing okay?” Elm asks.

Nelan nods, though she wonders of this is what it felt like when she received her first tattoo, gained in another life long forgotten. The small tattoo that ran down the bridge of her nose had always been there since her revival. This one currently being etched into her skin was technically her second, but her first in this life she lived now.

Ivo wriggled his way under her hand that was resting at her side, getting as close to her as he could. Nelan could tell- no, feel- that he was trying to ease any pain she might be experiencing. She could handle it, but she was grateful that he cared.

After a while, Nelan became used to the feel and it didn’t bother her too much. Ivo still remained where he was, occasionally asking how she was feeling, if she needed anything. She would assure him she was fine in return. It wasn’t the most painful thing in the world; nothing she couldn’t handle. In fact, now she was eager to see how this would look when Elm was done. She had seen other designs Elm had done and Nelan thought she was quite the artist. She and Elm engaged in conversation every so often, mostly, as she admitted, to keep Nelan’s mind off the ink being drawn into her skin. It did help, just a little bit.

When Elm was done, she held up a mirror for Nelan to see. In the reflection, she can see the Hunter’s symbol clearly; a subtle red against her pale blue skin. It was lovely.

“You like?” Elm asked, looking eager to hear her answer.

“It’s wonderful.”

 

* * *

 

Later on Nelan’s relaxing in her apartment, though her arm still stings from where the tattoo was applied. She sits on her bed, and Ivo floats around her like a satellite, watching as she reads the open book in her hands. It was an old book she was borrowing from Murph, one he dug out from somewhere (nether of them remembered where Murph said he got it).

“Hows the arm?” Ivo asked.

Momentarily distracted from her reading, Nelan looks up from the book.

“Sore.” She simply replies. “It’s not bad though.”

“Anything I can do for you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“...Can I see?”

Nelan smiled, shrugging off the blanket that was around her form. She winced as it brushed against her right arm, still sore. The tattoo was now revealed to her companion, though he had already seen it before as it was being inked. Maybe he wanted to really study the image on her skin now.

Ivo flew down to look at the tattoo, after a moment saying, “Fitting you picked the Hunter’s symbol.”

“Well, I am quite proud to be a Hunter, you know.” Nelan replies. “It’s who I am now, and… and I’m quite happy things have turned out this way. I can’t imagine being anything else.”

“When you put it that way, I’m not surprised you chose to get the symbol tattooed onto your skin.” Ivo comments. “It’s quite nice actually. Elm did a good job with it.”

“Yeah, she’s very talented. She’s a good artist.”

Ivo came up to her eye level. “You think she’s cute.”

Nelan blushed and looked away, though she smiled. “Maybe.”

 

* * *

 

Ivo hovered over Elm’s shoulder, watching as she worked; drawing a line of ink down Nelan’s bare back.

“I know you’re there, Little Light.”

“Don’t call me that.” Ivo replied with a huff. “And I just want to get a better look.”

“Be nice, Ivo.” Nelan muttered from where she lay, her head resting on crossed arms.

Ivo didn’t reply, instead letting his single optic trace over the new lines of ink Nelan had on her back.

There was a singular line that stretched from near where her shoulders joined together to about the middle of her back. Near the top of the line was a circle, and there were two smaller circles at the base of the line. Elm was currently putting the second of two more lines that ran through the circle near its center.

“It looks good.” Ivo quietly commented. “I appreciate the minimalist aesthetic. You’re still as talented as I remember you to be.”

“It has been a while since you were last in here.” Elm replied.

“Fighting a war against weird shadowy space creatures will keep you busy.” The last time Ivo and his Guardian had seen Elm was after the defeat of Crota, and then the Taken had happened. Their days had been preoccupied by fighting the Taken, and they had later brought the fight to Oryx. After things had calmed down, Nelan had proclaimed she was going to get another tattoo, which is how they found themselves here now.

“It’s good to see you again though.” There was a pause before Elm added, “Both of you.”

Ivo did a flip in the air, then flying back over to his Guardian. He’d leave Elm be to finish her work. According to the design, there wasn’t much left to do. They were just all lines.

“How you holding up?” Ivo asked.

Nelan’s eyes opened, glowing the same lovely icy color he would know anywhere. “I’m okay.”

“Good. I think Elm will be done soon.”

She smiled and closed her eyes again. Ivo nestled himself as close to her face as he could. Nelan would probably complain later her back was sore, and he’d probably have to constantly remind her to take it easy, but he didn’t mind. Nelan was his Guardian; she was worth it.


End file.
